Many products are exposed to, or even create, conditions in which microbes can grow. These conditions include the presence of water or moisture, the presence of biological material capable of serving as microbe food and frequently the presence of air. (It is noted that anaerobic microbes also exist.) These conditions are especially prevalent in products used in cleaning and for absorption. For example, in sponges, commonly used for cleaning, the presence of air (from its pores), water (from use) and food (from its use in cleaning) combine to turn the cleaning device into a microbe incubator. Indeed, in NSF International studies (formerly the National Sanitary Foundation), the kitchen sponge contains >99% of bacteria in all locations sampled within the home (Robert S. Donofrio R S, Bechanko R, Hitt N, O'Malley K, Charnauski T, Bestervelt L L, Saha R, Saha N. Are We Aware of Microbial Hotspots in Our Household? Journal of Environmental Health 2010) and between 45% and 100% of sponges are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria (B M Marshall. The frequency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in homes differing in their use of surface antibacterial agents. Current Microbiology 65(4):407-15, 2012; Hernandez, Jaime M. Antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic bacteria in kitchen sponges. Dissertation, Quinnipiac University, 174 pages, 2014). Similar situations exist in many other applications such as cleaning brushes, dishcloths, sponge cloths and mops.
Attempts to date to address this problem have centered predominantly around spray-on microbiostatic agents which slow the growth of microbes. Such chemicals, most commonly quaternary amines, are often toxic, including to aquatic life where wastewater from cleaning ends up. Indeed quaternary amines are classified as “asthmagens” or chemical that causes asthma by The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (See Table 1 and “Don't Wipe Out: The Hidden Hazards Of Antibacterial Wipes.” EWG Enviroblog. Sep. 21, 2012. Accessible at www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2012/09/dont-wipe-out-hidden-hazards-antibacterial-wipes). Just as importantly, these chemicals have no attachment to the underlying sponge material and are steadily dissolved by water over time. Once they are sufficiently leached out, cleaning articles are thus turned into microbe- and pathogen-incubators and spreaders.
There thus exists a need for antimicrobial products, in particular those used in cleaning with absorptive and wiping qualities such as a sponge, which have antimicrobial properties to prevent the creation and spread of contamination, especially contamination with microbes and pathogens, which maintain those properties over time even in the presence of materials they have absorbed, including microbes, pathogen and foodstuffs, and which do not leach antimicrobial agents over time and are thus health- and environmentally-friendly. The present application provides an effective means of cost-effectively manufacturing such products typically used in cleaning and decontaminating surfaces like those in kitchens or other household areas which may contribute to the spread of harmful microbes. Further aspects and advantages of the application will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.
TABLE 1Registry ofToxic Effectsof ChemicalAOECSubstancesExposureRS = Asthma(RTECS)CASCodePrimary NameSynonymA = AsthmagenSensitizernumbernumber322.321Benzalkonium ChlorideBenzalkonium ChlorideARsBO31500008001-54-5322.321Benzyl-C10-16-Benzyl-C10-16-ARsBO315000068989-00-4alkyldimethyl, chloridesalkyldimethyl, chlorides322.3211BTC 927BTC 927ARsBO31500008045-22-5322.3212Dialkyl Methyl BenzylDialkyl Methyl BenzylARs73049-75-9Ammonium ChlorideAmmonium Chloride322.3213Dimethyl Ethyl BenzylDimethyl Ethyl BenzylARs68956-79-6Ammonium ChlorideAmmonium Chloride322.3214Benzyldimethylstearyl-Benzyldimethylstearyl-ARsBO3150000122-19-0ammonium Chlorideammonium Chloride322.322Dodecyl-dimethyl-Dodecyl-dimethyl-ARsBO6821500139-07-1benzylammonium Chloridebenzylammonium Chloride322.322Dodecyl-dimethyl-Lauryl Dimethyl BenzylARsBO6821500139-07-1benzylammonium ChlorideAmmonium Chloride322.323Didecyl DimethylDidecyl DimethylARsBO68215007173-51-5Ammonium ChlorideAmmonium Chloride322.324Cetalkonium ChlorideCetalkonium ChlorideARsBO3150000122-18-9322.325BTC 776BTC 776ARsBO315000053516-76-0322.326Alkyl Dimethyl BenzylAlkyl Dimethyl BenzylARsBO315000061789-71-7Ammonium ChlorideAmmonium Chloride322.327Benzyl-C12-18-Benzyl-C12-18-ARsBO315000068391-01-5alkyldimethyl, chloridesalkyldimethyl, chlorides322.328Benzyl-C12-16-Benzyl-C12-16-ARsBO315000068424-85-1alkyldimethyl, chloridesalkyldimethyl, chlorides322.329Benzyl-C16-18-Benzyl-C16-18-ARsBO315000068607-20-5alkyldimethyl, chloridesalkyldimethyl, chloridesQuaternary amines are classified as asthmagens by the The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics. These data were found by searching http://www.aoecdata.org/ExpCodeLookup.aspx.